Mother’s Day (18 March) – the perfect opportunity for us all to show our mums how much we appreciate what they have done, sacrificed and taught us over the last few decades. What better way to show your appreciation than with a homemade gift.?
I’m not talking about a childish necklace made of pasta shapes or a haphazardly painted card. I’m talking about a dozen, elegant, gorgeously decorated cupcakes made by your own fair hands.
Cupcakes don’t need to be complicated to look impressive. The recipe below doesn’t require any special cake decorating equipment; everything can be found in the average kitchen. They’ll just take a tiny but of patience.
Makes 12, preparation time 1 hour 20 minutes (if making the sugar roses), baking time 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For the cake
100g butter, at room temperature
230g caster sugar
3 eggs
230g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250ml buttermilk
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon
For the icing
1/2 tsp rose water
175g butter
350g icing sugar
2 tbsp water
For the sugar roses
Ready-made sugar paste or fondant icing
Pink food colouring
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC and line a 12-hole cake tin with cupcake cases. I chose the pink spotty cases, but there are plenty of gorgeous designs out there for you to choose from.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle and look like scrambled eggs, simply beat in a tablespoon of flour. If you have an electric whisk or food processor, beat in the flour rapidly on a high speed.
Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a separate bowl to add as much air into the mixture as possible. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined. When folding, it’s best to use a metal spoon instead of a wooden spoon to prevent the air escaping from the mixture.
Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases until they are approximately 3/4 full, then bake for 20–5 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
While the cakes are cooling, make the icing by beating the butter, icing sugar, rosewater and water together. Again, if you have an electric whisk or food processor, it will make this process a lot easier. Place approximately 1 tsp of icing on top of each cake and spread evenly. To make spreading the icing easier, pour warm water into a cup or bowl and dip a teaspoon into it. Use the warm spoon to spread the icing smoothly over the cakes, dipping it into the water again between each cake.
To make the sugar roses
Fondant icing dries out very fast. It’s best to use small amounts, keeping any remaining icing wrapped up. If you don’t fancy attempting the sugar roses below, you can find ready-made decorations in many cake shops and supermarkets, much like the sugar daisies in the picture above.
Colour a 50g ball of fondant with the food colouring until you get the colour you desire. Wrap any remaining icing in clingfilm and set aside. Break off 6 pieces of icing and roll each into a ball measuring approximately 4mm in diameter.
With your thumb, press each ball until flat.
Take one of the flat petals and roll it between your fingers until it forms a rough cylinder. This will be the centre of your rose.
Take another petal and wrap it around the outside of the centre of the rose. Place the next petal overlapping the edge of the previous petal and gently press.
Continue wrapping the petals around the rose centre until you have used up all six petals. Pinch the base of the rose together to seal all the petals together and set aside.
Once you’ve finished your roses, take a pair of scissors and trim the ends to your desired size. Arrange the roses on top of the cupcakes, place in your most attractive container, and finish with a ribbon.
Your mum will love them!